The Bear

A bold redevelopment with deep roots

In a remarkable blend of heritage and innovation, a historically significant urban site - once home to a Ragged School - has been reimagined into a vibrant new church and pioneering housing development.

This ambitious project showcases the power of thoughtful design and community collaboration in transforming a constrained city space into a hub of faith, art, and living.

our approach

Collaboration at the core

The success of this redevelopment lies in the extraordinary partnership among highly motivated and invested organizations. At the heart of this effort is KILO, serving as a coordinator and driving force behind the project’s realization.

This initiative brings together diverse stakeholders, each contributing unique expertise and passion:

- An active church and community organization deeply connected to the existing building, bringing vision and local insight.

- A specialist charity, which, as the site’s freeholder, provided essential stewardship and guidance.

- A developer with a strong commitment to housing, community, and the arts, ensuring the project delivers meaningful value to its residents and neighbours.

Value of work: £7,000,000

Status: Completed

Type of contract: Development Agreement

Services: Architecture

An Inspired Approach

Artistic Signage and welcome entrance

The star installed at a high level addresses the market square, the “bear” signage together with the silhouette of the bear enhances the sense of place at street level. The use of signage and art creates a distinctive and unique place for visitors and users, reinforcing the location of the building in the neighbourhood.

You can read more on our article: Transform your space: The power of art and signage to elevate your premises.